MedicAlert launched its Connect Protect program with the Port Hope Police Service yesterday (Feb 19).
It’s a partnership that is designed to re-unite wandering and vulnerable individuals with their families.
Staff sergeant, Katie Andrews, says it’s very important.
The launch took place at the Ruth Clarke Centre in Port Hope, and dozens of community service agencies and members of the community showed their support and registered.
More than half a million Canadians are living with dementia, with 25,000 new cases diagnosed every year.
That number will likely rise to nearly one million in the next decade, but sergeant Andrews says this program also works for people living with autism.
MedicAlert has a mission to protect more vulnerable Canadians by working closely with first responders through the Connect Protect Program.
With the consent of MedicAlert subscribers – who wear a specially engraved ID – the charity can share vital information directly with the first responder community through a special hotline.
The information can make all the difference when minutes or even seconds count.
Sergeant Andrews adds that there is a cost but that there is a way around that too.
For those who were not able to attend the launch but are interested in registering themselves, a family member of an individual for whom they have guardianship, MedicAlert can be reached at 1 800-668-1507.